OK, learned something else new. One of my propane hoses developed a very small leak where the hose joins the green collar that screws onto the bottle. This would be a warranty claim since our Airstream is less than a year old. However, making such a claim is more hassle than it is worth, given the fact that the hose is $10 part. So off to the RV supply place for a hose.

Get out to the storage unit, and unscrew the defective hose. The end that screws into the regulator is much larger than the end on the replacement that i bought. Back to RV supply place.

Turns out I need an adapter to step up the hose to the larger fitting. Another $1.70 for the adapter, and all is well. Also found some pipe thread sealant at the RV supply place that is like a large crayon. Sort of a wax like substance. Beats the hell out of the pipe tape.

For some reason it is fairly common to have a leak develop between the green hand attachment and the high pressure hose which goes to the regulator. My parts dealer said a lot of the hoses come from the factory with leaks. The new ones leak too... I had to have the part place replace one of mine twice before I got a good one. Keep your receipt in case it happens to you.

Note that it is always best to use brush-on pipe dope or a pipe dope stick as mentioned above instead of Teflon tape where you are doing compressed air or propane.

Teflon tape sometimes releases shards of teflon into the gas or air piping that float around and look for trouble to get into. This can cause issues downstream with valves, regulators or appliances eventually. Since teflon is impossible to remove with solvents, this is a generally bad thing (tm).

Be sure in any case to use teflon tape or pipe dope that is specifically documented as rated for propane.

Also, there is specialized teflon tape specifically rated for gasoline--its usually yellow and a lot thicker. Regular white teflon tape is not the right stuff in this case. Home stores may or may not have the right stuff for gasoline use.

Read labels carefully and be careful working on propane. One spark plus a leak can spell instant disaster...

Please note that is a a fundamental law of nature that ANY project requies at least three trips to the home center. Dunno why that is true, but 40+ years of observation leads me to that inevitable conclusion!